By Isaiah Eka
Uyo: Dr Aisha Garba, the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission, says Federal Government’s HOPE-EDU initiative will improve the quality of basic education in the country.
Garba made the statement at the opening of a three-day sensitisation workshop for South-South and South-East stakeholders on Tuesday in Uyo.
Represented by Mr Rasaq Akinyemi, the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Garba said that the programme would improve learning outcomes for more than 29 million children in the country
It would be recalled that HOPE-EDU, an initiative, launched by the Federal Government in partnership with the World Bank, and Global Partnership for Education, targets to transform basic education in Nigeria.
The executive secretary further said that the programme would reduce the number of out-of-school children and overcrowded classrooms.
She stated that the programme was focused on improving learning outcomes, expanding access to quality education, and strengthening the education system.
“It will improve foundational learning, enhanced literacy and numeracy skills, especially in rural areas. It adopts a performance-based approach, and ties funding to actual progress and measurable results.
“HOPE-EDU is more than a funding, mechanism, it is a promise fulfilled. It aligns seamlessly with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, this initiative targets the heart of our challenges in basic education,” she said.
Garba said that the initiative would be a turning point in Nigeria’s basic education system, and that its implementation would be based on transparency, accountability and collaboration.
The executive secretary urged stakeholders to ensure proper monitoring of the programme in order to track funds spent on implementation.
The National Coordinator, HOPE-EDU, Dr Layi Olatawura, urged state governments to support the implementation of the programmme in the interest of the younger generation.
Olatawura commended the Federal Government for improving the allocation to the education sector in the 2026 budget.
The national coordinator stated that the programme aimed at complete government efforts in basic education.
Prof. Ubong Umoh, Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Education, said that the state government would support the programme for the betterment of children in the state. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)